He approached and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..." Naraku straightened up, feeling the thick taste of blood in his throat, and stammered, "I, I'll let Jin come out..."
"Hey..."
Black Zetsu hadn't reacted yet when the other person's expression changed, revealing the familiar smile of "Jin."
"Ah, spitting blood again? How useless."
He watched as "Jin" carelessly wiped the corner of his mouth, seemingly no longer feeling pain, and his breathing became much smoother, even taking the opportunity to mock the main personality.
"Did the Hashirama cells not cure your bloodline limit sickness?"
"It cured 'me,'" Naraku pointed to his heart, making a vague circle, "but it didn't cure 'him'~"
A question mark appeared above Black Zetsu's head: "What do you mean?"
Naraku's smile deepened a few shades, explaining more clearly: "Lord Madara's medicine might have had a tiny problem; it's completely useless for Uchiha Naraku."
Black Zetsu was dumbfounded.
Even after living for thousands of years, he couldn't have imagined that the Hashirama cells could only be controlled by the sub-personality, and the main personality couldn't use them at all.
--Aren't you two in the same body?!
--Could it be that the Hashirama cells have become sentient?! Otherwise, why are they so flexible!!!
On second thought, Black Zetsu felt that this was actually a good thing.
Uchiha Naraku, unable to use the Hashirama cells, would be continuously tormented by the bloodline limit sickness, destined not to control this body for long, and ultimately, Jin would survive.
Black Zetsu had been a little worried that Naraku living too long would cause trouble later, but now, it seemed even Heaven wanted Uchiha Naraku to perish, leaving Jin to work for him.
While Black Zetsu was still pondering, "Jin," without being watched, formed hand seals and tested the two Sealing Jutsu he had just cast. Fu immediately froze in place, and after being released from the restraint, she cried loudly from the pain.
The culprit exclaimed with a look of surprise, "It really works!"
Black Zetsu: Jin, you little brat, go easy! What if you kill her?!
...After a smooth return to Konoha, Naraku saw the White Zetsu impersonating him, diligently cooking, with habits identical to his own.
If he didn't fight, few would realize this wasn't him at all.
As expected, for the past two days, the White Zetsu had been staying at home in his place, reducing contact with outsiders, which was barely enough to keep up the deception.
Kakashi, who knew him best, had just joined a new team, leaving early and returning late, rarely at home;
Kana, with the strongest sensory abilities, was still on a mission and hadn't returned;
Fugaku and Mikoto, the couple, didn't spend much time with him daily, and without activating their Sharingan, they also didn't notice any flaws;
Tsunade also had things to do these days and hadn't called him to the Hospital for a check-up.
Naraku: Yosh! My luck is really good!
He had the "train" White Zetsu who brought him back take away the "actor" White Zetsu who was impersonating him. Naraku took over its unfinished work, continued to reduce the sauce over high heat, and enjoyed a delicious meal... After eating his fill and lying on the bed, Naraku had expected the animator to update the animated version of "Jin's" previous activities, but unexpectedly, the animator released a few more episodes of small-scale wars between Kumogakure and Sunagakure.
In the latest episode, Kumogakure had decided to cease hostilities. After deliberation by the higher-ups, they planned to get even with Iwagakure and were sharpening their knives, preparing to find a good excuse to start a war.
There was no footage of "Jin" at all, and even major events like Takigakure losing its Jinchuriki were kept hidden from the audience.
They planned to save it all for later.
It's likely that this secret history will only be revealed to the audience when Fu grows up and appears as an antagonist.
Naraku: Good, good, good, just keep accumulating it, who's better at accumulating than you?
The Ninja World's situation was tense, with constant explosive events, big and small wars. Kakashi, as the protagonist, had new teammates and would likely soon be on the battlefield, providing the animator with plenty of material.
However, he had to stay in the Uchiha Clan Compound for a long time to recover, his daily routine being to coax children, and "Jin" was in a semi-hidden state.
Naraku had a premonition that he would enter a long period of living off past achievements.
But that didn't matter; once the Third Great Ninja War fully erupted, there would be plenty of opportunities to fish in troubled waters... After some more days, Iwagakure and Kumogakure still hadn't started fighting, and the Ninja World was temporarily calm.
The Uchiha's reform was completely finished, and the entire Konoha welcomed a new atmosphere.
The Police Force was no longer exclusively staffed by Uchiha; several clans like Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Ino–Shika–Chō, and others had personnel assigned to the four vacant large squads, with a small number of civilian Ninja also among them.
Initially, the villagers felt that those unsympathetic Uchiha deserved to be replaced, and others would surely be much better than the Uchiha.
However, the result was the same as before; the other Police Force members weren't any more gentle, considerate, or understanding.
At first, the newly joined Ninja of The Police Force were still hesitant, treating villagers politely when incidents occurred.
Now, when they encountered troublemakers, they arrested them and beat them as necessary.
Because they also discovered that working for the Konoha Police Force was genuinely difficult.
From minor domestic disputes and trivial matters to large-scale disturbances, murder, and arson, they had to handle everything.
If they strictly followed the rules, villagers would find the punishment too severe and accuse them of overreacting;
If they showed leniency, The Police Force would lose its authority, making it harder to maintain order afterward.
This dilemma troubled them for a long time, so they eventually decided to learn from the Uchiha: do what needs to be done, and no one can stop them.
Although this approach drew continuous criticism behind their backs, at least no one dared to challenge the law, and public order would not be a problem.
Seeing others also getting cursed at, the Uchiha were quite happy, thinking to themselves, "Finally, you get to taste this feeling. The Clan Head is indeed wise."
The Uchiha who entered other departments were also thriving, and overall, it was quite harmonious.
Now that the dust had settled, the animator finally decided to tell this part of the story, using two and a half episodes to show the audience the events from beginning to end.
— —
This episode opened with the Uchiha clan meeting. Fugaku's strong attitude and power made the audience exclaim in satisfaction, praying that the hawkish ancestor possessing him would never leave, and preferably stay for a lifetime.
[You have to be tough with those short-sighted guys, lest they take an inch and ask for a mile]
[Fugaku, you've really come into your own]
[The Uchiha are so united against external threats, but when it comes to internal interests, they'll fight tooth and nail]
[Human nature]
[Fortunately, Fugaku now has his Mangekyo, so it's basically a one-man show]
Fugaku's strong and domineering presence already thrilled the audience, but when Naraku, by his side, also activated his Mangekyo, their combined aura created an effect greater than the sum of its parts, and no one dared to defy the Clan Head's authority anymore.
Naraku's face and body were covered in swirling curse marks, making him appear heavily restricted, but these patterns, combined with the animation effects, gave him an unusual handsomeness.
[So cool! My precious!]
[Looking at the quantity, Tsunade must have added at least four layers of Sealing Jutsu]
[Take it easy, baby, if Teacher Tsunade finds out, she'll scold you again]
[Am I the only one who thinks these curse marks are particularly... suggestive...]
[I understand you, sister in front!!]
[The beauty of struggle, confined by chains and cages!]
[I can't even imagine how good Naraku would look with this style when he grows into a young man]
In a flash, the scene shifted from the Uchiha clan meeting to the Konoha High Council meeting, where dozens of people who could decide Konoha's fate sat together, listening to Fugaku's speech on reforming the system.
Upon hearing Fugaku's conditions, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened. Before the two Advisors could even object, they heard one Clan Head after another voice their agreement. With Tsunade and Jiraiya also concurring, the matter was almost unstoppable.
[Hahahahahahahaha this is so satisfying too]
[Sister Tsunade's challenging gaze is so cool!]
[With Tsunade, the Senju clan's loyalists and the medical system are completely stable]
[What benefits did the Uchiha give the Shimura clan hahahahahahaha]
[Holy crap, that marriage alliance pie is indeed delicious]
[The probability of mixed-bloods awakening the Sharingan isn't low; who wouldn't want the Ninja World's top bloodline limit?]
[Shimura: Everyone else has it, but I don't. Wouldn't I be ruined then?]
[What a good arms race! Are the Uchiha some kind of advanced weapon, hahahaha]
The later content was basically about the changes during Konoha's reform. Starting from the perspective of a few obscure minor characters, different viewpoints were switched to show Konoha's busy and chaotic yet gradually thriving scene.
With a large number of positions abolished, many Uchiha who had long not wanted to work for The Police Force also voluntarily retired, pursuing various careers they preferred;
The interrogation and intelligence departments found a treasure. Sharingan genjutsu was simply too suitable for torture; even for forced confessions, the Uchiha always looked more like they genuinely intended to kill than others;
The Sealing Jutsu and Barrier squads discovered that the Uchiha were also very skilled in these types of work, completely unlike the rumors that they only knew how to cut people down and act crazy;
The academy accepted several kind-natured Uchiha as teachers, male and female, young and old, further breaking stereotypes for many children;
Very few Uchiha could enter the Hospital, but there were still three or five who interned with experienced Medical Ninja, making rapid progress;
Ninja who received new teammates in the Jonin Squad and Chunin Squad found that having an Uchiha in the team was simply awesome; not only were they strong in combat, but they also spoke little and always rushed to the front without a word when a fight broke out;
The Uchiha's connection with the Village became increasingly deep and tight, making it impossible for them to be singled out again.
[Holy crap! The Uchiha actually got severance pay? I didn't get any!]
[Is it possible that the Uchiha in the interrogation department genuinely thought they could kill people, and weren't just pretending?]
[What kind of stereotype is that, in front, hahahaha]
[Indeed, if you live long enough, you see everything; even Uchiha are teaching in schools now]
[Ninja: Young and ignorant of the Uchiha's worth, mistakenly valuing others as treasures]
[It should have been done this way long ago, otherwise, they wouldn't have had to suffer until now]
Later, when the audience saw other Ninja who had just joined The Police Force also being cursed at by the villagers, and after much deliberation, finally decided to learn from the Uchiha, they burst into laughter.
[Hahahahahahaha!]
[Serves you right! Let you taste what it's like to be cursed at! Hahaha!]
[Hyuga: The Byakugan can see through disguises, but not the hearts of unruly commoners]
[Inuzuka: I smelled that you're the thief! Not admitting it, huh! (Big stick thumps)]
[Aburame: Why are you ignoring me... (resentful)]
[Ino–Shika–Chō: Oh man, feels a bit like a loss, doesn't it? This job is too hard]
[Villager: Before you came, I was punished every day. After you came, I'm still punished every day? Then didn't you come for nothing?!]
[Laughing to death, they actually thought others would be different from the Uchiha?]
[No matter who's on duty, they're all full of workplace grumpiness and resentment, okay?]